Fictional sports television shows have been a mixed bag over the years.

For every outstanding series such as “Friday Night Lights,” there is a middling option, such as ESPN’s overrated “Playmakers.” And then there’s whatever WWE “Raw” is.

The jury is still out on “Lights Out,” FX’s gritty new boxing drama that airs on Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

Holt McCallany stars as Patrick “Lights” Leary, a former heavyweight champion whose wife pleads with him to retire after losing his last fight in the opening few minutes. The series picks up five years after that bout, with Leary struggling to pay for a boxing gym, his wife’s medical school loans and the private school tuition for his three daughters.

He also is battling “Pugilistic Dementia” after taking too many shots to the head. He can’t remember numbers and occasionally blacks out. But in an effort to maintain his family’s lifestyle, Leary takes a job first as a celebrity Bingo caller, then uses his muscle as a debt collector, and now is considering one last fight for one final payday.

Clearly this will not be a happy-go-lucky, feel-good story.

“Lights Out” doesn’t pull any punches, pun intended. The opening shot in the pilot is a closeup of Leary’s face -- bruised, swollen and bloody from his final fight.

The series doesn’t feature much actual in-ring action, but that may be by design. The boxing scenes viewers do see are more Rocky Balboa than Rocky Marciano -- and I don’t mean that as a compliment.

Still, “Lights Out” does a fine job of storytelling, even if the second episode fails to maintain momentum from the stellar pilot, which ends with an outstanding scene where Leary tells his youngest daughter that he’s finished fighting even as flashback scenes prove otherwise.

It was a promising start to the series, but will anyone watch? The premiere reportedly only drew about 1.5 million viewers, numbers that FX president John Landgraf told reporters were hurt by new episodes of “Tosh.0” on Comedy Central and “Teen Mom 2” on MTV. (Full disclosure: Those shows also make the cut on my DVR.)

Still, “Lights Out” is worth a look. McCallany wears the role of a broken-down boxer well, and Stacy Keach, who plays his father, is a welcome addition to any cast.

The storyline promises to improve as the weeks go on, provided the network that aired critically acclaimed dramas such as “The Shield” and “Nip/Tuck” -- and currently carries the hilarious fantasy football-based sitcom “The League” -- isn’t forced to pull the plug.

Boxing dramas have had a long and rich history in movie theaters, from “Raging Bull” and, yes, “Rocky” to this year’s Oscar contender “The Fighter.” For whatever reason, though, that success hasn’t translated to the small screen.

Then again, most fictionalized sports series have faltered mainly because the real-life games routinely have just as much drama and intrigue. Just ask the New York Jets or New England Patriots.

Regardless, there should be room for potential standouts like “Lights Out.”